Robot lip action



Q/ ONQN RN i. w %\l @WLM hw m r /l L E.. ,JSM .Il m Zw. Ow

WN. mm, I Wh.

G. A. MAGRUDER ROBOT LIP ACTION Filed Feb. 28, 1938 July 29, 1941.

Patented July 29, 1941 ROBOT LIP ACTION Gilbert A. Magruder, GranaRapids, Mich., as-

signor to' Automatic Instrument Company,V Grand Rapids, Mich., acorporation of Michigan Application February 28, 1938,.Serial No.193,219y

7 Claims.

This invention relates in generalt'o a/double lip action oi a robot ormanikin produced mechanically and electrically in connection witha radioreproducer or receiver for simulating the lip action of a person inmaking the 'same' sounds.

Among the objects of theinven'tion are to provide a robot with two lipsand electro-'mechanical means for operating them independently and inunison; to simulate the lip action of a person in speaking; to reproducelip action from a radio receiver dependent upon tones of diierentfrequency, power, or sound; to provide a lip action mechanism having afast start and a'slow stop; to provide a robot lip acti-on in which thesounds corresponding to vowels cause a dii'erent action of the lips thanfor the sounds correspondingto consonants; to produce asimple,'eiie'ctiveand efcient robot lip action operated from a radioreceiver; and in general to produce the structure, device and lip actionherein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention- Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic View illustrating anapparatus operated by a radio receiving set for producing a double lipaction for simulating speech in a robot in accordance with thisinvention; and

Fig. 2 is an end view of the electro-magnetic device as shown in Fig. 1.

'I'he present invention depends upon a change in frequency, volume,intensity, pitch or timbre for producing a distinguishable variationwhich may be communicated to the lips of a robot as coming from a radioloud speaker or receiving set. For example the upper lip may beconnected to respond to vibrations of high frequency and the lower lipto vibrations of a low frequency. This makes it possible fordistinguishing between the sounds of vowels and consonants. Ordinarilythe oral passage is open to utter vowel sounds and is more or lessrestricted by the lips, tongue or teeth to produce the consonant sounds.Thus this lip action may be arranged so that the lip members willrepresent the mouth as being open for the production of vowels and moreor less closed with either or both lips moving or open in producing theconsonant'sounds. g

It is not represented that the speech as produced or reproduced by theradio or loud speaker must necessarily come from the mouth of the robot,but the speech reproduced for the robot might be adjacent thereto sothat the lip action thereof would correspond to the speech asreproduced.

For the purpose of this invention it is unneces- (c1. is-11s) sary to gointo the details of the radio equipment orloud speaker or the meanslforproducing or varying the radio equipment which separates tones ofA highfrequency from tones of low frequency. It is suiiicientto represent thata radio receiver indicated generally by thereference -numeral 4 has twooutlet panels, one panel .5 for tones of high frequency, and 6 for tonesof low frequency. These panels have terminals v1, 8 and 9, I3respectively and are commonly provided with means forming no part ofthis invention forl varying the frequencies available at saidterminals'. Connected to the terminals l and 3 by con ductors I I and I2respectively is ahigh frequency magnet I3 having a movable core orarmature I4' connected to one end of a lever I5` mounted intermediateits ends upon a pivot I6 andlconn'ected to the other terminals SandY lliby'means of conductors Il and I3 is a low frequency magnet I9 having amovable core or armature 20 connected at one end of a lever 2| mountedintermediate its ends on a pivot 22.

In a manikin or robot represented by the broken outline 23 of a portioncia head are upper and lower lip members 24 and 25 mounted intermediatetheir ends upon pivots 26 and 21 respectively, the outer ends of thelevers represented as the corresponding lips of the robot and the otheror inner ends of the levers being connected by rods' 28 and 29respectively with the levers I5 and 2| respectively adjacent the endsthereof. The ends of the levers near the rods are connected to dashpoto-r retarding devices. each comprising a piston rod 30 connected to apiston 3| movable in a cylinder 32 and having a reduced vent opening 33so that the action generally produced by the magnets is for rapidstarting and slow stopping, or as applied to the lips is fast openingand slow closing.

In the operation of this lip action it will therefore be apparent thatdepending upon the power supplied to the magnets I3 and I9 each lipmember may be operated more or less, separately, or in conjunction toproduce a corresponding variaion of the lip members, thereby simulatingthe lip action of a person in actually saying the same thing.

It is intended that a robot equipped with this lip motion will beoperated by an electrical reproducer either in connection with areceiver for radio or a sound reproducer as shown more or lessdiagrammatically in Fig. l. A disc sound record 35 is placed upon aturntable 36 rotated by a motor 31, the sound being picked up in a Wellknown manner by a stylus 38 carried by a tone arm 39 mounted to turn andtilt upon a shaft 40. Electrical conductors 4| and 42 connectl the tonearm to terminals 43 and 44 respectively of the radio receiver where thevibrations produced by the record are amplied, the tones of high and lowfrequencies are separated or ltered and the resultant electricalimpulses are given to the magnets I3 and I 9 to impart motion to thelips 24 and 25 as above set forth.

It is obvious that various changes in the forms of the lip members, theextent of their movements, the intensity of the current or the frequencyapplied to the operating magnets may be varied by suitable means withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a robot lip action, a pair of lip members, and means connectedindependently thereto for separately operating the lip members to movealone and together and thus simulate the lip action of a person.

2. In a robot lip action, upper and lower lip members, means connectedindependently thereto for operating the lip members separately, andelectro-responsive means depending upon the different intensity of thesound produced for operating the lip members separately and together inaccordance therewith.

3. In a robot lip action, the combination with a radio receiving sethaving outlets for currents of different frequencies, ofelectro-responsive means separately actuated by said dilerentfrequencies, and a pair of lip members independently connected to andseparately actuated by said electro-responsive devices for moving thelips separately and together and thus simulating the lip actioncorresponding to tones of high and low frequency.

4. In a robot lip action, a pair ofmovable lip members, a pair ofmagnets actuated by currents of diierent intensities, each having a coremember moved thereby and an independent connection between each of thecore members and a corresponding movable lip member for moving it tosimulate lip motion for consonants or vowels in accordance with theintensity of the current.

5. In a robot lip action, a pair of lip members pivotally mountedintermediate their ends, a pair of magnets actuated by currents ofdifferent frequencies and having movable cores, means for transmittingthe movement of the cores independently and individually to thecorresponding lip members to simulate consonant and vowel lip movements,and retarding means for the said moving means to cause a slow stoppingmovement of the lips.

6. In a robot lip action, upper and lower independently movable lipmembers, a separate magnet for each member actuated by currents ofdifferent intensities, means including a pivoted lever and a rod forconnecting each magnet to the corresponding lip member and a retardingdevice in connection with each lever for slowing the speed of movementimparted by the magnet to the lip member.

7. 'I'he combination with a robot lip action for upper and lower lips;of a sound record, means for reproducing the sound, and electrical meansfor separating sounds of diierent frequencies; the lip action comprisingmagnets actuated by diierent frequencies; and separate connections fromthe magnets to the upper and lower lips for moving them independently inaccordance with the reproduction of the sound record to simulate themovement of lips in making the sounds.

. GILBERT A. MAGRUDER.

